Category Archives: Mindset

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Making decisions can be tough. Particularly when you are creating Fresh Tracks and stepping into new and uncharted territory. Why is making a decision so difficult when doing new things? Because you don’t have a history to support or justify your decision, particularly if it doesn’t turn out the way you choose.

The truth is most of us are not taught how to make a true decision, and yet decision-making is such an important aspect of our life as humans. We are gifted with the ability to choose. It’s what sets us apart from everything else. And to top it off, according to Fresh Tracker Dr. Gary Klein on the Fresh Tracks podcast, what many of us were taught about how to make decisions is completely wrong! Most decision-making is done on a subconscious level and happens quickly. Not plotted out on a flow chart.

Making decisions on a conscious level and cultivating confidence and trust in yourself involves some self-reflection. How do you make decisions (quickly, intuitively, slowly, after months of research, you don’t unless you have to)? How often do you stick with the decisions you do make?

Here are a few factors that may be playing a role in your ability, or inability, to make a true decision.

TrustMaking a decision is also an exercise in how much you trust yourself. Decision-making is overloaded with beliefs and feelings that you may not be aware of at first glance. Not trusting yourself or your ability to make the right decision, but also trusting yourself that you will follow through and stick to your decision once you’ve made it are key motivators behind these beliefs. Next time you are in a position to make a decision, slow down and listen to your body. What’s it telling you? And how much of that do you agree with?

FearFear frequently reigns its ugly head when it’s time to make a decision. Particularly when cutting Fresh Tracks! We may be afraid to lose something in making one choice over another. Or we are unwilling to give up the status quo – even if we say we want change, our decision-making doesn’t support that. Where is fear coming up for you in your decision-making?

MindsetOne last factor that dramatically effects your decisions is your belief about your ability to complete the task. Your mindset affects your decision-making. So, when confronted with making a different choice or when cutting Fresh Tracks and approaching something new, stop and examine your mindset. What are your beliefs about the matter? Why does it matter to your decision? Do you believe yourself and what you are committing to?

Trusting yourself when making decisions, taking action from a place of power, and stepping boldly into your path and purpose are all reasons to continue moving forward on your path cutting Fresh Tracks.

I thank you for being with me on this journey and I look forward to both of us continuing to cut Fresh Tracks!

Olympian Ester Ledecka knows firsthand the rewards of cutting Fresh Tracks, creating an astounding upset in winter sports history by doing her own thing her own way.

Winter sports enthusiasts know – skiers aren’t good at snowboarding. And snowboarders can’t ski if their life depended on it. The two sports are completely different. Both the mechanics of the sports and the culture of each are night and day. In fact, the ski industry is known for snubbing snowboarders and consider snowboarding more of a “performance” than a true sport.

Along comes Czech Ester Ledecka – who didn’t give a hoot about athletic norms as she became not only the first woman to compete in two sports in any winter Olympics, but she also won two gold medals; one in women’s super-G Alpine skiing and the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding.

This was a complete upset in the Alpine ski world. Why? Let’s take a look….

When Ester raced the super-G she was the 26th skier to come down the mountain – that’s how far behind she was in the ranking. The race had already been called – photos of the medalists had already been taken!

Ledecka skied the super-G for fun, just to see how well she could do because she could. She won by .01 seconds and was so caught off-guard by her gold medal that she hid during the interviews. She wore her googles to her press conference afterward because, in her words, “I was not prepared to be at this ceremony, and I don’t have any makeup.”

Let’s take a look at two things Ester did to bring herself to this record breaking place in the Olympic winter sports community…

Mastering the Law of Thinking

Ester first skied at age two and tried snowboarding at age five (because her brother was doing it). As she grew she trained in both sports and actually had separate coaching staffs and schedules in order to develop both skillsets. Ester refused to listen to advice to specialize in one sport – which she had been told to do since she was eight.

Ester made up her own mind about what she wanted to do, did the work to make it happen, and focused on doing her best. She did not set her limits on what others told her was possible. In an interview after her win, Ester shares “I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a little child… A lot of people were telling me that it is not possible to do both sports and to be on a high level in both sports and today I proved that it is possible.”

Ester would later say that skiing the super-G as a boarder rather than a skier may have given her an advantage because of her mindset. “I was standing there as a snowboarder a little bit in my heart, and all the girls are just (Alpine) specialists and there was a lot of pressure on them,” Ledecka said, recalling her thoughts when was at the start gate. “I was just, `C’mon, just do the best run you can, skier.’”

When asked what she would do if she were pressured to choose one sport she replied she would choose a different coach instead.

Mastering the Law of Success

Ledecka is a snowboarder by trade and has only competed in skiing for two years.

She had never placed higher than 29th and came into the Olympics ranked 43rd in the world cup standings. Ester was happy to be the first person to ever compete in both sports at the Winter Olympics as that was her goal. She started the winning race in the 26th spot, beating the first-place winner by .01 seconds.

“I was probably the only snowboarder on site,” she said. “All the other girls didn’t risk a lot. There must be a lot of pressure on them. I was just trying to do my best run.”

Ester is dedicated, disciplined and focused – which is why the Law of Success is the Universal Principle that led to her ultimate gold medal. The main worry her coaches have is that she never wants to get off the slope, which in Alpine skiing can be dangerous.

“She is absolutely focused,” says her skiing coach Thomas Bank.

Her coaches say that because Ester both skied and boarded she was able to see the mountain differently when Alpine skiing. She was able to act more like an artist and create her own path rather than focusing on technique and best practices others have mastered.

The question to ask yourself is…

Where are you “staying in the lines”.

Where are you doing what’s expected of you rather than what you desire?

Do you have the support system in place to support your decision?

Are you expecting to succeed?

Overview

Belief

In herself. Didn’t listen to or follow advice from experts to specialize in one sport.

Universal Laws in Play

Law of Success – Every one of us is designed to succeed because the Universe is conspiring in your favor. Always.

Lori is a realtor and has worked part-time in the field for a few years. Her main source of income is a passive income stream she set up several years ago, and she relies on this weekly check to cover all her expenses and pay her bills. Any other income, including her real estate income, she considered extra.

The real estate clients she worked with came to her without much effort. She enjoyed working with each of them and really considered it play rather than “work”. She also only gave a small part of herself to this endeavor, not taking much risk and not playing full-out at the same time.

Lori’s confidence in her passive income stream was beginning to waiver, and she considered getting a job to replace the consistent income she relied on each week.

Within a month Lori was offered a job. She was asked to ‘name her salary’, they wanted her badly. She meditated on it and wasn’t sure she actually wanted the job, so she offered a high number she didn’t think they would accept. Which they did.

Taking time to consider her options and working full-time, even with opportunity for growth and expansion, didn’t feel right. It wasn’t appealing to her. Trusting herself she told them no. She offered an alternative to work four hours a day, part-time as a contractor, thinking that would solve her problem. They accepted that offer and she still told them she wanted to think about it some more.

Lori shares that there was something not feeling right about working in this way. While she really wanted the steady and secure income, she was hesitating. She meditated deeply on it and asked her intuition what to do. She decided again, not to take the position and offered them two other qualified people to consider.

Lori realized she had a belief that to be financially secure she needed job or committed paycheck. She was putting her faith in controlling HOW the money came to her rather than focusing on the Universal Principle of the Law of Supply and knowing that the money would come to her.

Lori set an intention that she would build her real estate business so she could live exclusively on that income.

That very week Lori received two new real estate clients!

Lori asked and trusted her intuition not to accept the job, trusting in her next step. Lori didn’t know exactly how she would meet her goals of consistent income and replacing her passive income stream. She did listen to herself and take what seemed to be an illogical step at the time, yet trusted what she knew to be true for her.

Overview

Belief – Need a check from a company or outside source for steady income/financial security.Practices leading to change – Strengthened intuition through meditation practice. Examined belief in where money comes from. Her belief in supply.Universal Law in play – Law of SupplyIntention – Increase income from existing passive income stream (weekly check) and real estate career.

Waiting tends to suck. No one wants to do it and yet, we all end up waiting at one time or another.

There’s two types of waiting; anticipated and unanticipated.

Anticipated waiting, such as waiting for the results of a test or waiting for your book to be released from the publisher (ehm – especially if it’s WAAY longer than you expected it to be), we can plan for. While we may be impatient for the results, we also know it’s coming and can plan for it. We may plan to keep ourselves busy and keep our mind off the waiting. Or we may focus on staying positive or preparing ourselves for a poor outcome.

The second type of waiting is when you are waiting unexpectedly, such as waiting in line at the DMV or the grocery store. Waiting in traffic or for a delayed flight. Unanticipated waiting catches us off guard and often leaves us feeling out of control, frustrated or angry. Our plans are thwarted and can throw off other deadlines.

As business owners we are accustomed to being in control of many things. When we are forced to wait, particularly unexpectedly, we are definitely not in control, and that can be incredibly uncomfortable!

When we are waiting and feeling out of control we often go to two places:

Victimhood – “Why am I always in the slow lane”? “This happens to me every time I’m in a hurry”.

Frustration and blame – This has more of an angry tone to it. “This is why I never get my goals accomplished”. “Those kids are always slowing me down”.

I think we can all agree, neither of these places is healthy or helping us (or the people around us) in any way. Let’s take a look at how we can wait and choose how we respond.

Breathe. Taking a few breaths may slow you down and allow you to get ahold of yourself momentarily. You can also take this time to do some focused, meditative breathing that you always intend to do but never make the time for.

Be productive. Update your to-do list or your shopping list. Delete some of those emails that are nine months old. Have you not made time to call your mom in a while? This is it!

Practice being mindful and staying in the present. Do a short meditation or a focused prayer or intention setting. Be aware of what’s going on around you – how can you make the most of the situation? Can you be of service in any way?

Let go. Sometimes the best way to get unstuck is to not focus on the issue, in this instance waiting, and move on to something else. Oftentimes this letting go process is what breaks you free. Accept the situation you are in and do something else.

How you react to situations, particularly the unexpected or uncomfortable, is your choice. Being conscious of how you react to waiting is just one place to focus your attention this week.

One of the things that stood out for me from my interview with NYT best-selling author Jen Sincero was a statement she made about being in the game. You want to make money. Perhaps you also want freedom, flexibility, to enjoy what you do and to feel like you are contributing to society.

In order to create any of that you’ve got to be swinging the bat and trying, at a minimum, to play the game. You have got to be playing in order to have even a slight chance of winning!! There are different levels to playing, but being in the game means you are doing more than ‘thinking about’ how you’d like to double your income and have a house on the beach. It means you are actively doing something to make it happen.

How are you playing the game is the next question to pose to yourself

There’s being in the game to win and there’s being in the game to not lose. And there’s sticking your toe in the water so you can say you are in the game but you aren’t really playing at all. You may not know your exact path to wealth right now, but taking action is how you figure it out. Taking big, focused action is how you play.

I was recently speaking with someone about his new business (over a few months) and he keeps putting off starting it because he didn’t know all the answers. He didn’t have everything figured out and was waiting to start until he did. He was taking weeks to do vision boards and attending networking groups in the hopes of knowing exactly who his clients would be and what they would want from him. And THEN he was going start reaching out and selling.

This idea of having it all figured out before you start quickly leads to broke and a business that never has a chance of making money because it never gets started. You aren’t helping anyone by thinking and planning and not taking action. You aren’t helping yourself by playing it safe.

Showing up vs actually playing

Other folks THINK they are in the game because they have a website and may network here and there, but they aren’t truly playing. They play in the realm of their comfort zone, which may be spending hours a day posting on social media or attending a networking event here and there. There is not much sales or business conversation happening. They show up and talk the talk, but they aren’t walking the walk. Results speak for themselves.

Like Jen said in our Fresh Tracks interview, there’s this place where you just have to get in the game and get started if you want to accomplish anything. Most of it you’ll figure out as you go along. If you aren’t even playing the game you can’t expect to win.

It’s easy to expect what you’ve always experienced to remain constant. Ultimately, you stay the same and don’t look for anything different because, why would you? It’s easy to lose a sense of magic because we are around the same experiences with the same results each day. It’s logical.

The 2017 total solar eclipse was a magical experience for me. We drove to Alliance, Nebraska and camped out on a ranch with 1000 other enthusiasts. It was a friendly, eclectic bunch and definitely expanded my experience of the world in many ways.

Doing something different and being around different types of people has given me the gift of coming home and running my life and business differently.

Just like the sky looked different during the total solar eclipse, I am now able to look at my business differently. Because anything is possible. If you want to create different results, such as earning a million dollars this month, you’ve got to see and expect different results. Perhaps magic. However, total solar eclipses don’t happen every day to get us out of ruts.

Let’s take a look at 3 ways to see and create magic around you each day

Do something different. Push yourself into an area you haven’t before! With your business, in relationships, in your daily routine. Try something big to get magical results. Be active rather than passive about your experiences and expect the unexpected.

Expect magical things to happen and you will see them. Just like I had to physically move myself to be in the magic of a total solar eclipse, you may have to get uncomfortable to experience your magic. My house in Colorado experienced a 93% partial eclipse, which is not the same experience as a total eclipse. When you do big things in your life, when you create Fresh Tracks, expect to see the magical results. You will have to do something different and expect different outcomes to experience magical results.

Actively look for the magic. Look through the world with fresh eyes, like everything is new and different. Know that magical experiences are always there, such as your next client or a million-dollar sale. If you aren’t looking odds are you won’t see them.

Someone wanting to take one of our marketing workshops was distraught. She felt she didn’t have the money and couldn’t justify that she was investing in herself again and not making any money in her business. Looking at her business through a different lens (mine)… she recently gave a talk, made over $600 and has more follow-up calls she can make. She also has two similar talks scheduled!

She is not seeing the money and progress she has made in her new business (the magic) she is focusing on lack so much she’s not even seeing what she’s manifesting! How easy it is for all of us to do this without knowing it!!

Sometimes driving over four hours to Alliance, Nebraska to experience a total solar eclipse is what you have to do in order to bring the magic back home. Sometimes you have to take a risk and step into a workshop to create your magic (like our Marketing with SOUL or Hand Raisers Workshops). Just sayin’ 🙂

You must take care of yourself first. We’ve all heard that statement before and can intellectually agree with the logic behind it. Yet, many of us still struggle to take care of ourselves. We are disciplined in many areas in life and business and still struggle with this one.

If you’ve ever paid attention to the pre-flight training from the airlines before take-off, you’ve heard the instructions in case of emergency to put the oxygen mask on yourself first – even before your kids. You can’t take care of anyone if you are passed out!

This same truth holds true for you as a business owner. You are literally the energy and force that fuels your business — no one else is. No one else can power it for you. If you run out of fuel or are full of contaminated fuel your business will suffer. You will work harder than needed. You will struggle to make decisions. You will doubt yourself. The worry or fear you experience will enter your business and permeate its essence. Contaminating decisions, products and interactions with others. And ultimately you are not the only one that suffers. So do all of your clients, vendors, suppliers, creditors, employees and stakeholders.

The clearer your mind and the healthier your spirit, the more able you are to serve the world in the biggest most powerful way possible. For many of us that is through our business.

Think about what that means to you and where in your life you are not taking care of yourself. Where is water leaking into your gas tank? What are one or two small things you can do to change that today?

In my monthly Success in Business Meditation we learn to begin our meditation by focusing on ourselves. I teach you a simple way to do this in just 10 minutes. THEN we are in a clean and focused place to move on to what we are creating with our business. We have the capacity to expand and give in a powerful and compelling way.

Mindfulness and meditation are just one of several ways you can ‘keep your gas tank clean’.

According to William Bridges, author of Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, each change or transition has three stages. They are Endings, the Neutral Zone and New Beginnings.

I am focusing on endings this week because they set the course for the next two. Why are endings so important? Unresolved endings impede our movement into the neutral zone, which is a necessary part of the transition process.

Are you struggling creating something new? It might because of how you ended what preceded it.

Take a look at how you’ve ended major events in your life. Marriages, relationships, businesses, trainings, and other commitments.

Objectively reviewing how you have (or have not) acknowledged the endings in your life can be an enlightening experience. Understanding how you’ve handled transitions in the past will ultimately allow you to be conscious during your current or next transition, giving you the opportunity to choose how you react.

Take some time now to reflect on changes you’ve experienced in your life. Are there any patterns you see? Let’s specifically take a look at how you handle your endings, as they affect how your beginnings start.

Change always requires you to let go of something before the new thing can start. This is the Law of Sacrifice. For example, you must end your job to step into retirement. You must end an unhealthy relationship before stepping into a healthy one. You must end making poor health choices and eating on the couch all night to enjoy a healthy and fit lifestyle.

Do you fight and resist endings? Do you acknowledge them and accept them? Do you avoid them or pretend they are not happening? Do you embrace them and welcome them? Are you usually not aware you are in an ending? Do you just want to hurry up and end so you can start your new thing?

It’s not that these experiences aren’t meant to end, but it’s how you handle them that is worth reflecting on. Remember, a caterpillar’s life must end before it cocoons and reemerges as a butterfly. The caterpillar doesn’t fight the metamorphosis, it eats and eats (preparation) to sustain itself through the transition.

The phoenix is another symbolic example of change. When the Phoenix perceives its impending death it ignites itself into a magnificent fire. In time, it reemerges from its own ashes – reborn, renewed, and very much alive.

How do you handle endings? Are you in one now and if so, what can you do to embrace the ending rather than fight or avoid it? How can you honor the ending as a part of your metamorphosis into the new?

Meditation. When I hear this word I think of people sitting immobile for hours at a time, dressed in white. Possibly in India or an ashram. They are not business people with busy family lives, but people with time on their hands and no kids.

What I don’t vision is a busy entrepreneur taking time out of their day to sit for hours on end to experience a Zen state.

Yet, studies show time and again the incredible benefits of achieving mindfulness, which can be done through meditation.

Meditation to grow your business

A study in the journal Psychological Science shows that mindfulness can help us conquer common “blind spots”, which can amplify or diminish our own flaws. Mindfulness can help us see beyond our distorted lenses to recognize the truth.

Another study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience shows that the benefits of meditation continue on throughout the day. According to the study, mindfulness meditation can help you focus and remain calm because it helps the brain have better control over processing pain and emotions.

What happens when we bring meditation, mindfulness and money together and work towards achieving a common goal?

Mindfulness is a state of being. Observing where you are and bringing your attention to being aware of yourself. Meditation is a common way of being mindful.

Taking even a few minutes each day to slow down your thoughts, stop thinking about the 15 things you need to do before noon, and become conscious of your self-talk can completely change the results in your business. Studies show practicing mindfulness can lead you to be more focused, less stressed, and have a greater ability to prioritize effectively.

Do you think you might make more money if you were less stressed, more focused and calm, and had a better understanding of your emotions in the moment?

I know when I am mindful I make decisions faster and with more clarity. I am able to be more focused on achieving my goals and not get distracted as easily. All of which ultimately leads to my ability to serve more people and make more money.

There is a reason why some business owners are more successful than others. It’s not because the successful one’s work harder or are smarter, but it’s where they focus their attention. It’s how they take control of their mind and ultimately their day right from the start. The truth is changing your results can happen without effort by changing a few steps in how you start your work day. And the best part is you can do it in less than five minutes.

Beyond setting goals, which are usually done once a year and are often soon forgotten, there are daily habits those that live and create with intention incorporate into their routine each morning. These habits make an incalculable difference in their results.

Let’s take a look at what you can do……

Focus on yourself and mindset. Clear your head, take a few deep breathes, and slow your mind down. Take control, even if it’s just for a few minutes, of those run-away thoughts and the negative self-talk that can easily take control of your day.

Intention for client care and client attraction. Taking care of your existing clients and focusing on attracting new clients should be a daily action. By taking just a few minutes to set an intention and focus on how you intend to serve and keep your existing clients can make or break your business. In addition, knowing that the right, new clients are on their way to you now allows you to set a tone of gratitude and prioritize what’s important to your business for the day.

Focus on a healthy flow of money and circulation. In every business money should circulate. Similar to how blood circulates in your body and keeps you alive, money is what gives a business its life force. Set a focus that today and each day you will make money. You can certainly be specific about the amount you intend to bring in. The important part is to feel and set the tone for an abundant and profitable day.